Hideaki hiromatsu



March 1934 HlDEAKl HIROMATSU KNITTING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 1'7, 1960 ATTORNEY March 17, 196 HlDEAKl HIROMATSU KNITTING MACHINE Filed May 17, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 24 11 25 c5 6 1a 24 4 i5 21 15 a Z a 1 25 M 3 i 2a V60 2 ,22 a I Z 16 L:| I

22a I INVENTOR $649M Jm d ATTORNEY KNITTING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 17, 1960 I NVENTOR gamma M w ATTORNEY M r 7, 1964 HlDEAKl HIROMATSU 3,124,946

KNITTING MACHINE Filed May 17. 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR maul Jamar ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,124,946 KNlTT-HNG MACHENE iiideaki Hirornatsu, Tokyo, .lapan, assignor to Silver ginitting Machine Manufacturing Co., Inc., Tokyo,

apan

Filed May 17, 1%0, Ser. No. 29,630 3 Claims. (Cl. 66-6tl) The present invention relates to a knitting machine.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a knitting machine, which produces a knit cloth consisting of complete stitches without using Weights or sinkers in the setting process of the knitting operation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a knitting machine, which eliminates the necessity of weights suspended from a knit cloth during the knitting operation, and this results in preventing the knit cloth from being excessively pulled and the yarns from being damaged due to the weights suspended from the knit cloth.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a knitting machine, which includes a cover which may be secured with ease to the main body of the knitting machine and which covers the main body extending from its front surface to its upper surface. Furthermore, in the case of transporting the knitting machine, during interruption of the knitting operation, the cover body is put on to the main body of the knitting machine, so that a knit cloth may be tightly held between the cover and the main body of the knitting machine, thereby preventing the loss of the knit cloth.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a knitting machine, wherein, in case the carriage is prevented from moving due to intertwining of the yarns during the knitting operation or other obstacles, an inspecting means is provided which takes the pressure members off the carriage, lifts the carriage vand moves the carriage independently of the knittingneedles.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a knitting machine, which is equipped on both sides of a cam track of the carriage with two top cams, each of the top cams having two sloping portions which meet with each other at a point and are capable of setting at either an upper or a lower position. By setting the top cams at the lower position, the butts of the knitting needles, which are in their inoperative position, will be brought into their operative position, with the result that the knitting of a variety of patterns is made easier.

With these and other objects and advantages of the present invention in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a knitting machine in relation to a cover thereof;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of a carriage;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the'carriage;

FIG. 4 is a sectional side view of the main body of the knitting machine provided with the carriage;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional side view of the main body as shown in FIG. 4, shown at enlarged scale;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the setting bar which is used in the setting operation;

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are perspective views showing the setting operation;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of the cover, showing the lids of the cover in their open position; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of the cover attached to the main body of the knitting machine, showing the lids of the cover in their closed position.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to Patented Mar. 17, 1%64 FIGS. 1 to 5, a main body is provided with a plurality of knitting needles 1, each of which has a butt 1a, which may slide in a plurality of slots 3 provided in parallel relation to each other on the upper surface of a needle board 2, and a butt la projects upwardly through each of the slots 3.

The needle board 2 is provided at its rear portion with a rod-like guide rail 4 and on its left and right sides with side plates 5, each of the latter including a portion 5a with its substantially aligned upper surface of the needle board 2. A cover 6, which covers the needle board 2 at its bottom and behind its back, is secured to the side plates 5.

The needle board 2 is provided with an upwardly and backwardly sloping portion 2a, which limits the rearward movement of the knitting needles 1 by engagement of their rear ends lid with the portion 2a of the needle board 2, when the knitting needles 1 are fully retracted (FIG. 4).

A thin plate spring 7 mounted on the needle board 2 presses against the knitting needle 1, whereby the knitting needle 1 is prevented from sliding freely. Secured to a board 8 mounted on a front fiat portion 2b of the needle board 2 are stationary pins 9 (PEG. 5), each of the latter being bent downwardly and then extending in an upward and forward direction forming its front end portion 9a, which is spaced from the front edge of the front flat portion 2b by substantially 2 to 4 mm.

A carriage b is capable of moving along the guide rail 4 mounted on the needle board 2 by means of a fitting sleeve 1% which engages slidably the guide rail 4. The carriage b is provided on its inner surface with knitting cams 11 facing each other, the front end of each of the knitting earns 11 being pivotally secured to the inner surface of the carriage b by means of a hinge pin 11a and its rear end being hinged on a rockable cam 12 by means of a hinge pin 11b, so that the stitches of a knit cloth may be properly adjusted by turning a dial 13 provided on the upper surface of the carriage b due to the displacement of the hinge pins 11b.

Since the tips of the rockable earns 12 are in contact with a rear stopper 15 by means of springs 14, one of which is shown only, each of the springs 14 being mounted between a pin 12a of the rockable cam 12 and a pin 14a of the carriage b, the knitting cams 11 guide the butts 1a of the knitting needles 1 during the knitting operation, as will be described hereinafter.

The rear stopper 15 is a wall projected downwardly from the inner surface of the carriage b. Retracting the butts 1a of the knitting needles 1 to their rearmost position in their slots 3 by any conventional means, the butts 1a are received in the space between the fitting sleeve 10 and the rear stopper 15, with the result that the knitting needles 1 are rendered inoperative, and the butts 1a of the knitting needles 1 are advanced from their inoperative position by a finger or an independently prepared needle comb, so that the knitting needles 1 will be brought into their operative position again.

A cam track 16 is projected downwardly from the inner surface of the carriage b behind the foremost position of the butt 1a of the knitting needle 1 in a slot 3. The tip of a rotary cam 1'7 turnable about a pin 1% is in engagement with the inner side 11c of either knitting cam. 1'1. In accordance with the above stated structure, the butt 1a of the knitting needles 1 is guided by the rockable cam 12;, advanced along the knitting cam 11, guided by the rotary cam 17 during rotation of the latter, brought into engagement with another knitting cam 11 and guided backward along the latter, to push on against another rockable cam 12, the latter being pulled backwards by a spring 14, with the result that it gets out of the carriage b.

The carriage b is provided on its front with a yarn masses carrier 18 which serves the purpose of feeding yarn to a hook 1b of an advanced knitting needle 1. Pressure members 24} are secured to the carriage b by means of bolts and nuts 19 which connect a pressure member plate 21 of each pressure member 21) with the carriage b each pressure member plate 21 being provided with a notch 21a into which the bolt 19 fits. In accordance with this structure, the pressure members 21) may be easily taken off the carriage b by loosening the nuts 19. Rotary brushes 22 are rotatably supported on the bottom surface of the pressure members 20 by means of pins 22a, and since the rearmost portion of each rotary brush 22 projects into the space between the front end portions 9a of the stationary pins 9, a knit cloth may be pushed into this space during the knitting operation. A brush 23, which is secured to each pressure member plate 21, serves the purpose of opening a latch 1c of a knitting needle 1 when an advancing knitting needle 1 is brought into engagement with the brush 23, resulting in safe feeding of yarn to the hook 1b of the knitting needle 1. A brush 23a, which is secured to each pressure member plate 21 behind the yarn carrier 18 in such a manner that the lower end of the brush 23a serves the purpose of preventing upward swinging of the hook end of a moving knitting needle 1.

The carriage b is further provided on both sides of the cam track 16 with top earns 24, each of which has two sloping sides which meet each other at a predetermined point. Each top cam 24 may be set at its upper or lower position by means of a knob 24a, namely, in case of setting the cam at its upper position, it will not actuate the butt 1a of the knitting needle 1 for movement of the latter, while in case of setting the top cam 24 at its lower position, it may actuate the butt 1a of the knitting needle 1 located in the foremost position in the slot 3 to move it backwardly to a position behind the cam track 16. The butt 1a of the knitting needle 1 will be further retracted by means of a projecting head 15a of the cam track 16, and as the butt 1a of the knitting needle 1 moves forward along either knitting cam 11, the butt 1:: of the knitting needle 1 will be brought into engagement with the brush 23, resulting in opening the latch 10 of the knitting needle 1.

Gperating levers 26 are swingably connected to a cover plate 25 of the carriage b by means of a pin 26a. In case of moving forwardly a knob 26b provided at the end of the levers 26, one of the operating levers 26 will push forwardly the pin 12a of a rockable cam 12, resulting in disengaging the tip of the rockable .cam 12 from the rear stopper 15.

The lever 26 slides in a slot 260 (FIG. 4) in the side wall of the carriage b, which slot 26c forms a widened portion 26d to constitute an arresting position for the lever 26. The latter is movable in the slot 26c into the widened portion 26d, in which position the lever 26 is arrested thereby retaining simultaneously the cam 12 in its rocked position against the force of the spring 14. The rocked position of the cam 12 and the displaced position of the lever as with its knob 26!) is shown in pointdotted lines in FIG. 2. In the rocked position of the cam 12, the knitting needle 1 is not guided along the knitting cam 11 and the rotary cam 17, but it only slides back and from laterally in the carriage b in the free space created between the cam 12 and the rear stoper 15, so that it is rendered inoperative. Thus the position of the cam 12 determines the operative and inoperative movement, respectively, of the knitting needles 1.

In case of knitting a variety of patterns, it is required to feed yarn to only some predetermined hooks 1b of the knitting needles 1, and the knitting operation will be successfully completed by the present knitting machine.

A cover body is provided with a main member 27, which serves the purpose of covering the front and the top of the main body a of the knitting machine, and

with side plates 28 secured to both sides of the main member 27 of the cover body 0. Each side plate 28 is provided with a flange 28c and a holder 29, both serving the purpose of jointly fitting on tightly to the portion 5a of each side plate 5 of the main body a of the knitting machine. Each side plate 28 is also provided with a lid 28b secured thereto by means of a hinge 28a. After fitting the side plates 23 to the portions 5a. of the side plates 5, the lids 28b may be put on to the back portion of each side plate 5 and may be fastened to the main body a of the knitting machine by means of a buckle (not shown).

In accordance with the present structure, a knit cloth may be held tightly between the cover 6 of the main body a of the knitting machine and the main member 27 of the cover body 0, thereby preventing the loss of the knit cloth in case of transportation of the knitting machine.

The operation !of the knitting machine is performed in the following manner:

After taking off the cover body 0 from the main body a of the knitting machine by opening the lids 28b, yarn is laid in the yarn carrier 18 of the carriage b and the butts 'lla of the knitting needles 1, required to make a knit cloth of a desired stitch, are advanced in their slots 3 from their retracted inoperative position to their operative position by a finger or an independently prepared needle comb. By moving the carriage b under these conditions, the knitting needles 1 Will be advanced. As the knitting needles 1 are advanced in such manner that has been previously described, the latches 1c of the knitting needles 1 will be brought into engagement with the brushes 23, resulting in opening the hooks 1b of the knitting needles 1, and a length of yarn 30 laid in the yarn carrier 18 will be fed to the hoolcs 1b of the knitting needles 1. Then the knitting needles "1 are retracted, resulting in stretching the yarn 30 zigzag between the hooks 1b of the knitting needles 1 and the firont end portions 9a of the stationary pins, as shown in FIG. 7.

Then a long setting bar 31 with a knob 31a at its end will be placed on the yarn 30 stretched zigzag between the hooks 1b of the knitting needles 1 and the front end portions 9a of the stationary pins 9. Thereafter, the knitting needles 1 are advanced LfOI' a short distance, yet enough to mount the tips of the knitting needles 1 on the setting bar 31. Then, upon the actuation of the carriage b, the knitting needles 1 alone will be advanced, the setting bar 31 preventing the zigzag stretched yarn 3th from moving forward, as shown in FIG. 8. The knitting needles 1 will receive a length of yarn 30a and then will be retracted. During their backward movement, they wil l pass through the zigzag stretched yarn 30, resulting in forming loops, as shown in FIG. 9.

When moving the carriage b again, the knitting needles 1 will be advanced, hut the loops of the yarn 39a are prevented from moving forward, because the yarn 3th is interknitted with the setting bar 31. During the forward movement of the knitting needles 1, their latches 10 will pass through the :loops of the yarn 30a. Thus, the knitting operation will be repeated successively, and consequently the setting has 31 will slide down along the front end portions 9a of the stationary pins 9' during each of the operations. Since each stationary pin 9 is provided at its end with the hook-like portion capable of receiving a knit cloth, the knitting operation may be repeated long enough to make a knit cloth comprising several courses. Thereafter, the setting bar 31 Willi be pulled out from the knit cloth and the setting process is finished.

Upon completion of the setting process, the yarn 31 in the first course will be released from the stationary pins 9. Thereafter, up on repeating the reciprocating motion of the carriage b, the knit cloth will be suspended in front of the needle board 2 of the main body a of the knitting machine, the knit clot-h being suspended from the hooks 1b of the knitting needles 1 only by loops newly formed in the uppermost course of the knit cloth, and, on the other hand, the rotary brushes 22 attached to the bottom surface of the pressure members 20 act to push the knit cloth into each space between the front end portions 9a of the stationary pins 9, so that the knit cloth will be pushed downwardly. Thus, when the knitting needles 1 are advanced, the knit cloth will not only be prevented from moving forward jointly with the moving knitting needles 1, but also be prevented from its upward shifting, because of the presence of the downwardly pushing foroe. When the knitting needles 1 are advanced, their latches 1c will pass through the loops and their books 1b will receive the yarn, whereby the knitting operation will be repeated. Furthermore, the plate spring 7 is in engagement with each knitting needle 1, thereby preventing the knitting needle 1 from its free forward sliding by means of a braking action, so that the knit cloth will be prevented from shifting upwardly. As above mentioned, the knitting operation will be successfully performed without suspending weights from the knit cloth.

In case that the movement of the carriage b is interfered with during the knitting operation, due to, for instance, intertwining of the yarns, the pressure members 20 may be taken off the carriage b by loosening the nuts 19 and disengaging the notches 21a of the pressure member plates 21 from the bolts. Since according to the present structure, the fitting sleeve 10 of the carriage b is mounted turnably on the guide rail 4, the front portion of the carriage b may be lifted about the guide rail 4, rendering inoperative the knitting cams 11 and the rockable cams 12 on the butts 1a of the needles 1. Thus, by freely moving the carriage b to the left or to the right, an operator may inspect easily', how the yarns are intertwined and return the knit cloth into normal position.

Furthermore, in case of setting 'the top earns 24 at their lower position in suoh a knitting operation, that the butts 1a of some knitting needles 1 are in their inoperative position or their foremost position in the slots 3, the top cams 24 will actuate the butts 1a of the knitting needles 1 to move them backwardly behind the cam track 16, with the result that the knitting needles 1 are moved into their operative position.

If desired the setting bar 3 1 may be replaced by other equivalent members, such as a string.

While I have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

I claim:

1. A knitting machine comprising a main body,

a carriage slidably mounted on said main body,

a cover releasably secured to said main body,

said main body including a needle board,

a plurality of stationary pins mounted parallel relative to each other along the front edge of said needle board, and bent downwardly and then upwardly and forwardly to form a sloping front end portion,

a plurality of knitting needles slidably mounted on said needle board for movement between a withdrawn and advanced position and including hooks at their front end,

said front end portions of said stationary pins and said knitting needles being adapted to stretch knitting yarn between said stationary pins and said knitting needles by operation of said carriage,

a setting bar disposed between said books of said knitting needles and said front end portions of said stationary pins and adapted to be placed on the first stretched course of said knitting yarn,

said knitting needles moving forwardly and backwardly over said setting bar, and said setting bar being pulled out in axial direction upon completion of the required number of courses for finishing the knit cloth, a plate spring mounted on said needle board for each of said knitting needles and pressing against the latter, pressure members secured to the front portion of said carriage, and a rotary brush rotatably mounted on the bottom surface of each of said pressure members, and said rotary brushes moving the knit cloth into spaces defined between said front end portions of said stationary pins, and to push down the knit cloth by cooperation between said rotary brushes and said stationary pins.

2. The knitting machine, as set forth in claim 1, which includes a rod-like guide rail secured to the back of said needle board,

said carriage having a fitting sleeve slidably mounted on said rod-like guide rail, and

pressure members removably secured to the front portion of said carriage.

3. The knitting machine, as set forth in claim 1, which includes a cam track projecting downwardly from the inner surface of said carriage,

top cams disposed on said carriage on both sides of said cam track,

each of said top cams having two sloping portions meeting each other at a point, and

means for securing said top cams in an upper and a lower position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,236,325 Vorck Mar. 25, 1941 2,719,418 Yamada Oct. 4, 1955 2,812,650 Lenglet Nov. 12, 1957 2,844,015 Luchsinger July 22, 1958 2,879,653 Hagiwara Mar. 31, 1959 2,881,605 Luchsinger Apr. 14, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 188,832 Austria Feb. 25, 1957 65,121 France Sept. 28, 1955 488,796 Italy Jan. 8, 1954 311,163 Switzerland Jan. 31, 1956 

1. A KNITTING MACHINE COMPRISING A MAIN BODY, A CARRIAGE SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID MAIN BODY, A COVER RELEASABLY SECURED TO SAID MAIN BODY, SAID MAIN BODY INCLUDING A NEEDLE BOARD, A PLURALITY OF STATIONARY PINS MOUNTED PARALLEL RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER ALONG THE FRONT EDGE OF SAID NEEDLE BOARD, AND BENT DOWNWARDLY AND THEN UPWARDLY AND FORWARDLY TO FORM A SLOPING FRONT END PORTION, A PLURALITY OF KNITTING NEEDLES SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID NEEDLE BOARD FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A WITHDRAWN AND ADVANCED POSITION AND INCLUDING HOOKS AT THEIR FRONT END, SAID FRONT END PORTIONS OF SAID STATIONARY PINS AND SAID KNITTING NEEDLES BEING ADAPTED TO STRETCH KNITTING YARN BETWEEN SAID STATIONARY PINS AND SAID KNITTING NEEDLES BY OPERATION OF SAID CARRIAGE, A SETTING BAR DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID HOOKS OF SAID KNITTING NEEDLES AND SAID FRONT END PORTIONS OF SAID STATIONARY PINS AND ADAPTED TO BE PLACED ON THE FIRST STRETCHED COURSE OF SAID KNITTING YARN, SAID KNITTING NEEDLES MOVING FORWARDLY AND BACKWARDLY OVER SAID SETTING BAR, AND SAID SETTING BAR BEING PULLED OUT IN AXIAL DIRECTION UPON COMPLETION OF THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF COURSES FOR FINISHING THE KNIT CLOTH, A PLATE SPRING MOUNTED ON SAID NEEDLE BOARD FOR EACH OF SAID KNITTING NEEDLES AND PRESSING AGAINST THE LATTER, PRESSURE MEMBERS SECURED TO THE FRONT PORTION OF SAID CARRIAGE, AND A ROTARY BRUSH ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON THE BOTTOM SURFACE OF EACH OF SAID PRESSURE MEMBERS, AND SAID ROTARY BRUSHES MOVING THE KNIT CLOTH INTO SPACES DEFINED BETWEEN SAID FRONT END PORTIONS OF SAID STATIONARY PINS, AND TO PUSH DOWN THE KNIT CLOTH BY COOPERATION BETWEEN SAID ROTARY BRUSHES AND SAID STATIONARY PINS. 